Cheslie Kryst.Photo:Nicholas Hunt/Getty
Nicholas Hunt/Getty
Former Miss USACheslie Krystis set to become a published author more than two years after her death.
Thanks to her mom, April Simpkins, Kryst’s book —By the Time You Read This: The Space Between Cheslie’s Smile and Mental Illness— will soon be hitting the shelves.
Simpkins toldExtrathat getting the book published was among Kryst’s “final wishes.”
“This means everything to me,” Simpkins toldExtra. “Fulfilling her final wishes feels like I still get to be in mommy mode with her. And it has been a work of love.”
Cheslie Kryst.Paras Griffin/Getty
Kryst wascrowned Miss USAin May 2019, joining Nia Imani Franklin (Miss America)Kaliegh Garris(Miss Teen USA) and Zozibini Tunzi (Miss Universe) as thefirst group of Black womento hold their respective titles in a single year.
Additionally, Kryst was licensed to practice law in both North Carolina and South Carolina. She became a correspondent forExtrain October 2019, earning two Daytime Emmy Award nominations.
In a video shared withExtra, which was recorded shortly before her death, Kryst announced that she had written a book. “It’s so wild, like, I wrote a book!” she exclaimed in the clip. “I have words on the page. There are words on this page! My words that I wrote.”
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“Whether you are someone who struggles to maintain your mental health, or you love someone who does, this book will share insight into a reality that impacts thousands of families every year — as well as provide hope for those who are left behind,” read a description of the book, per the publisher.
Cheslie Kryst.Dia Dipasupil/WireImage
“But there was still a lot of pain that she felt,” she continued, “and I do feel like the book stands right between that place of what people saw in her smile and her private battle with depression.”
The net proceeds fromBy the Time You Read Thiswill go to the Cheslie C. Kryst Foundation, per the publisher. The book is currently available to preorder.
source: people.com
